The common theme to date - and one which is holding most businesses back - is for individual departments to roll out AI deployments which operate separately from the systems that already power the business. This disconnect is limiting the impact of AI and creating fragmented experiences where the technology works in silos. At Workato, we see this pattern constantly: organisations investing in AI capability while underinvesting in the enterprise integration layer that would make it meaningful.
Put simply, the challenge for UK businesses is no longer the task of building intelligent agents, but establishing the organisational alignment needed to deploy AI in ways that meaningfully support business objectives. To realise the full potential of agentic AI, organisations must now address four critical areas: accountability, impact, governance and measurement.
Ensuring accountability and impact
Across the UK economy, the opportunities for agentic AI are widespread. In financial services, agents are already automating compliance and customer operations. In healthcare, AI is starting to support administrative efficiency and patient pathways. Manufacturers are exploring AI-driven supply chain coordination, while the public sector is investigating how agents can streamline citizen services and reduce operational overheads.
While use cases differ by sector, the underlying objective remains the same; orchestrate systems, data and workflows more intelligently across complex organisations to unlock greater business value. However, achieving this at scale requires more than deploying new AI models. It demands enterprise orchestration- the ability to securely connect systems, data and workflows across the entire business, not just within individual departments. Without this connective layer, even the most sophisticated AI agents are constrained to the boundaries of the silo they were built in.
It is a business-wide effort yet there is one clear person to lead the charge: the CIO. As the only executive whose remit already encompasses the systems, data, governance, security and integration required to make agentic AI work enterprise-wide, the CIO is uniquely positioned to turn agentic AI from isolated experimentation into measurable business outcomes. In practice, this means owning the enterprise orchestration strategy- ensuring that AI agents are connected to the live systems, real-time data and cross-functional workflows that determine whether AI produces genuine business value or simply adds another layer of complexity.
Admittedly, this is no small task. Many AI initiatives have emerged outside of core IT functions, often driven by innovation teams or individual departments. While these experiments demonstrated AI’s potential, they also exposed the risks of fragmented adoption, disconnected data and inconsistent governance. As organisations move from experimentation to enterprise-wide deployment, the CIO will need to unite the business in the collective effort to operationalise agentic AI securely, responsibly and at scale.
The policy and governance challenge
Responsible deployment also depends on strong governance frameworks. As part of the CIO’s remit, businesses need clear accountability for AI decision-making, robust data governance, transparency around automated processes and appropriate safeguards for security and privacy. However, it is a fine balance between ensuring teams feel empowered to use AI, without eroding confidence or creating security weaknesses which could have negative business consequences.
For this reason, responsible deployment at scale requires the right policy environment. Clear governance frameworks, interoperable standards and robust data protection are all essential for building trust in agentic AI systems. At a national level, the UK has an opportunity to support AI adoption through investment in digital skills, modernised infrastructure and regulation that enables innovation while maintaining accountability. The UK government estimates that AI could contribute an additional £400 billion to the economy by 2030 through productivity and innovation gains, provided businesses have the capabilities and foundations in place to adopt it effectively.
Aligning AI to core KPIs
Despite the rapid rise of AI adoption, the majority of use cases to date have been fringe experiments; straightforward tasks such as summarising research or rewriting emails. Many businesses are cautious, or unsure, in how best to deploy AI for work which is more complex and time consuming. Yet by restricting agents to surface-level tasks, we are also limiting the technology to surface-level business impact.
This requires the CIO to trust AI with the business’ core processes if they want to produce real value from their investments, which currently 94% do not. KPIs are a valuable tool for overcoming this. By aligning the use of AI with the metrics that are most important to the business, the CIO can ensure that all agents are producing results that have tangible impact. In financial services, for example, this might mean an agent isn’t just automating a compliance check in isolation, but is connected to customer onboarding, risk systems and reporting workflows - measurably reducing time-to-decision and operational cost simultaneously. That’s the difference between AI as a feature and AI as a business outcome.
Another way of thinking about it is by considering KPIs as the ‘North Star’ for every agentic application. Ultimately, the success of agentic AI will be determined not by the sophistication of individual agents, but by how effectively organisations integrate them into the fabric of the business.
As the focus now shifts from experimentation to execution, the organisations that combine innovation with accountability, integration and strong governance will be best placed to unlock the productivity and economic benefits of agentic AI in the years ahead. By reassessing how AI is integrated across the business and establishing clear ownership for its adoption, businesses can ensure agentic AI succeeds at scale, rather than becoming another addition to the growing list of failed AI initiatives. The enterprises that treat integration and orchestration not as an IT afterthought, but as the strategic foundation on which every AI investment rests, will be the ones that see success.
Derek Thompson
Senior Vice President and GM, Workato
Derek Thompson
Senior Vice President and GM, Workato
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Derek Thompson, Senior Vice President and GM, EMEA at Workato, shares his insights on how agentic AI is at risk of becoming a 'side project' for many, without intelligent and ambitious enterprise integration.
Read Okta's guest blog, discussing how the core opportunity for British organisations today is enabling teams to safely move AI agents into production at scale and at speed.
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Kir Nuthi
Head of AI and Data, techUK
Kir Nuthi
Head of AI and Data, techUK
Kir Nuthi is the Head of AI and Data at techUK.
She holds over seven years of Government Affairs and Tech Policy experience in the US and UK. Kir previously headed up the regulatory portfolio at a UK advocacy group for tech startups and held various public affairs in US tech policy. All involved policy research and campaigns on competition, artificial intelligence, access to data, and pro-innovation regulation.
Kir has an MSc in International Public Policy from University College London and a BA in both Political Science (International Relations) and Economics from the University of California San Diego.
Outside of techUK, you are likely to find her attempting studies at art galleries, attempting an elusive headstand at yoga, mending and binding books, or chasing her dog Maya around South London's many parks.
Usman joined techUK in January 2024 as Programme Manager for Artificial Intelligence.
He leads techUK’s AI Adoption programme, supporting members of all sizes and sectors in adopting AI at scale. His work involves identifying barriers to adoption, exploring solutions, and helping to unlock AI’s transformative potential, particularly its benefits for people, the economy, society, and the planet. He is also committed to advancing the UK’s AI sector and ensuring the UK remains a global leader in AI by working closely with techUK members, the UK Government, regulators, and devolved and local authorities.
Since joining techUK, Usman has delivered a regular drumbeat of activity to engage members and advance techUK's AI programme. This has included two campaign weeks, the creation of the AI Adoption Hub (now the AI Hub), the AI Leader's Event Series, the Putting AI into Action webinar series and the Industrial AI sprint campaign.
Before joining techUK, Usman worked as a policy, regulatory and government/public affairs professional in the advertising sector. He has also worked in sales, marketing, and FinTech.
Usman holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), a GDL and LLB from BPP Law School, and a BA from Queen Mary University of London.
When he isn’t working, Usman enjoys spending time with his family and friends. He also has a keen interest in running, reading and travelling.
Sue leads techUK's Technology and Innovation work. This includes work programmes on AI, Cloud, Data, Quantum, Semiconductors, Digital ID and Digital ethics as well as emerging and transformative technologies and innovation policy. In 2025, Sue was honoured with an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the Technology Industry in the New Year Honours List. She has also been recognised as one of the most influential people in UK tech by Computer Weekly's UKtech50 Longlist and was inducted into the Computer Weekly Most Influential Women in UK Tech Hall of Fame.
A key influencer in driving forward the tech agenda in the UK, in December 2025 Sue was appointed to the UK Government’s Women in Tech Taskforce by the Technology Secretary of State. She also sits on the UK Government’s Smart Data Council, Satellite Applications Catapult Advisory Group, Bank of England’s AI Consortium and BSI’s Digital Strategic Advisory Group. Previously, Sue was a member of the Independent Future of Compute Review and co-chaired the National Data Strategy Forum. As well as being recognised in the UK's Big Data 100 and the Global Top 100 Data Visionaries in 2020, Sue has been shortlisted for the Milton Keynes Women Leaders Awards and has been a judge for the Loebner Prize in AI, the UK Tech 50 and annual UK Cloud Awards. She is a regular industry speaker on issues including AI ethics, data protection and cyber security.
Prior to joining techUK in January 2015, Sue was responsible for Symantec's Government Relations in the UK and Ireland. Before that, Sue was senior policy advisor at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Sue has an BA degree on History and American Studies from Leeds University and a Master’s Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Birmingham. Sue is a keen sportswoman and in 2016 achieved a lifelong ambition to swim the English Channel.
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